CFL lighting help

[atro]

hey guys, im about to start growing soon using CFLS. So far I plan on growing 1-2 plants.
My growtent is 3 feet x 2 feet x 3 feet. Im thinking of using: 1x 130w 6500k and 1x 130w 2700 at the same time during vegetation stage and flowering. How would this work out? Would I need smaller CFL lights surrounding the plant?

 

[TheRoach]

Hi Atro, welcome to
Two CFLs may be too little light for two plants.
Best wishes.

 

[Pigeons420]

You've come to the right place, Friend!

Roach is right. You will need more lights. For 2 plants you're looking for around 8-10 lights. 4 up top and the remaining surrounding the plant. CFLs don't give off as much light as some alternatives. So, the more the better.

 

[john5457]

I am starting my first grow in a 4x4x5 tent. I will be using 2, 2foot 4 bulb T5 lights to veg and I was thinking about switching to 2 hanging 4 bulb (8 total) 100 watt cfl bulbs for a better flowering spectrum. there will be 8 plants and the two hanging lights will have reflectors. I've seen a few youtube videos where this amount is used and the plants look great and healthy. Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Thanks & have a great day !!

 

[prote]

i have always vegged under either one or two 85w 6500k with great result, sometimes put a few 2700k 20w in for better spectrum, just start my first ever flower under cfl only so will keep you posted

 

[Pato242]

Hey Atro, same here new to this site and new to tent grows. Here's a pic of my 130w 2700k and 6500k cfls ( these are large CFLs )give plenty of light

 

[EventHorizon]

I'm ordering a grow tent off eBay right now... should be here around the 24th if I win the bid. I'm going to be placing in a 125w 2100K 9500 lumen E27 CFL but in a month or two I'll be buying a socket and reflector with a 200w 2100K E39 CFL.

 

[EventHorizon]

Hi Atro, welcome to
Two CFLs may be too little light for two plants.
Best wishes.

Are you kidding? Two 130w CFLs? You could grow 4 plants... 6 with a reflective tent. Just top your plants a couple times. I'd use both spectrums for flowering but only the 6500K for vegetative.... maybe get a smaller 6500K for the flowering stage.

 

[EventHorizon]

I was thinking about switching to 2 hanging 4 bulb (8 total) 100 watt cfl bulbs for a better flowering spectrum.

First of all sorry for posting so many times in a row... is that 8 100w CFLs? Or 8 26w (100w equiv) CFLs? 8 100w CFLs is a little over kill... that's like a 4000w equiv. I don't know.... 400w per fixture... I guess it's possible.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

I use the same type of cfl myself & the 6500k is just fine for veg.

I've vegged 4 plants under a 125w cfl for up 8 weeks with out problems in a 60cm by 60cm area, kind of gets a little tight towards end vegging at times but do use a slightly bigger tent for flowering.

 

[OldMedUser]

How do you like those airpots Fuzzy Duck?

I hear they do a good job of pruning the roots and getting the rootball chock full of feeder roots.

L8r

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

How do you like those airpots Fuzzy Duck?

I hear they do a good job of pruning the roots and getting the rootball chock full of feeder roots.

L8r

Love em 100% & never looked back since my first ever grow

More likely suggest 10 liter size pots tho as i find my own which are about 6 liter size dry out reasonable quickly during peak flowering with medium sized bush's.

 

[OldMedUser]

Bigger the better when you're growing larger plants for sure.

I make sure to get lots of roots in my regular pots by going through 3 or 4 different sizes before the biggest which for me is about 16L. At each repot I saw off the bottom inch of the rootball to promote root branching and also shave off any long roots on the sides.

So many folks are scared to damage roots but I've never had any kind of transplant shock ever so I think it's more a myth than anything. I once let 4 plants get to over a foot tall in a 4" square pot that was 10" deep. I used a bread knife to split that rootball in quarters and put each in it's own 4L pot. In a week they were all showing new roots in the drain holes and packing on new growth up top.

L8r

 

[Katatonia]

i also started with 125 cfl , for 2 plants , but i think it'd be much better if i got like 5 or 6 x24 watts , those could cover more area , now i have to add extra 2 x24 watts because the sides of my northern lights r not fully covered and they seem to lean side toward the one big 125 bulb

 

[Katatonia]

rn't the light too high ? i'v read that cfl most be 10 cms from the leaves , those r 4 inches

 

[Katatonia]

I use the same type of cfl myself & the 6500k is just fine for veg.

I've vegged 4 plants under a 125w cfl for up 8 weeks with out problems in a 60cm by 60cm area, kind of gets a little tight towards end vegging at times but do use a slightly bigger tent for flowering.

sorry i posted wrong , i was talking about this set , rn't the lights a bit too far ?

 

[OldMedUser]

i also started with 125 cfl , for 2 plants , but i think it'd be much better if i got like 5 or 6 x24 watts , those could cover more area , now i have to add extra 2 x24 watts because the sides of my northern lights r not fully covered and they seem to lean side toward the one big 125 bulb

Drape some tinfoil over that bulb or get a reflector for it. Katatonia. Half or more of the light is being wasted as it is. I'd have it above the plants going the other way over both rather than in the middle. Once they are taller I'd hang it down between the plants with sa reflective surface behind the plants to trap the light around them. Pot will grow great with strong lighting from the sides. Doesn't have to be overhead.

L8r

 

[OldMedUser]

Oops, looks like you already did the reflector thing now raise the plants or lower the light so it's 3 or 4" above them.

L8r

 

[Katatonia]

Oops, looks like you already did the reflector thing now raise the plants or lower the light so it's 3 or 4" above them.

L8r

yea i have a reflector , and the light is almost touching the plants so i can't raise them anymore , those r in day 11 of veg and they seem to be growing fast , maybe the light is fine but i'm just gonna add the 2 24watts on the sides to make sure , also gonna definitely need those extra 2 sockets on the sides when moving to the flowering stage , i'm gonna be using 200 watts 2700 cfl in the middle , and 2 24s on the sides , that's all the budget i can afford right now , i hope it's gonna work
thanks for ur info anyways , i'm gonna make sure the light doesn't get wasted